Just received one of my favorite catalogs in the mail today. They always entice me to look; it’s fashion, with an artist’s twist and they have a seasonal cover feature which is most often jewelry.

Oh, orange. It is summer after all and that color can be so much fun!

Wait, there’s a cute pair of shoes. Hmmm. $196 for sandals. Ok… but I can’t try them on before I buy, so maybe not a great idea…

I kept looking. Oh, look at that pair of earrings. Adorable. Tab that page for my husband. (The bag… also cute, but I don’t need one, so I will pass.)

It took me until page 49 of 56 to find the ring. Beautiful. Maybe a bit too orange… but still amazing, bright and glittery. Then, I look at the price which is at least 20 times the average cost of everything else I have seen that I would consider either buying or asking for a gift. I mean, “summer” is an occasion, but probably not the justification for a ring that is made of a gemstone I’ve never heard of before (and I loved studying geology – one of my all-time favorite classes), then tack on cost with 4-digits (no decimal) and that gets crossed off the impulse purchase for this month.

I agree that the cover feature should draw you in, but once you find it, you should be able to at least be willing to consider buying it…Direct mail is still a mass media option. Think about what those masses may want.

~ Dawn aka hat Girl

PS Those are not diamonds but the ring is made of 14K gold.